“Lovie Smith and Jason Licht Love Johnny Manziel. Love Love Love”

Johnny Manziel #2 of Texas A&M Aggies drops back to pass the game against Rice Owls at Kyle Field on August 31, 2013 in College Station, Texas. *** Local Caption *** Johnny Manziel

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You hear a quote like that and it opens your eyes.

Lance Zierlein is a sports talk host in Houston, TX and is co-owner of TheSidelineView.com. His father, Larry Zierlein, has been coaching since 1970 and was in the NFL from 2001-2009, most recently with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Lance Zierlein is a well respected draft analyst and is often quoted on multiple websites including rotoworld.com.

During a recent podcast, the Buccaneers became a topic of discussion. After discussing the Bucs off-season moves, Zierlein got into the Bucs apparent infatuation with Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel.

“Lovie Smith and Jason Licht love Johnny Manziel…love love love,” Zierlein said during his weekly podcast. “Lovie was there at his pro day, and he was there for Mike Evans as well, but I know that Lovie Smith loves Johnny Manziel.”

Zierlein, along with the other hosts on the podcast all said that they were surprised by this news, but Zierlein said he believed his source fully.

“I’ve been told that if Manziel makes it to seven, he won’t get past the Tampa Bay Buccaneers,” Zierlein continued. “They think that highly of him.”

The podcast gets into the Bucs around the 25:00 mark.

Zierlein did make a valid point relating to his father. He said that when his father sat out of football for a year, he picked up tendencies that he would not have thought of while coaching. Zierlein also pointed to former Bears GM Jerry Angelo, whom he said told Zierlein that he was extremely high on Manziel and that the only reason he was so high on Manziel was because he was away from the game a little bit and realized where the game is heading.

Lovie Smith sat out of the NFL last season, and the assumption on the podcast, was that Lovie realized that he can still win with defense while also trying to score on offense.

If Lovie Smith and Jason Licht are “in love” with Johnny Manziel, the question remains as to whether Manziel falls to the Bucs with the 7th overall pick.